


Puppy, Puppy Please With A Cherry On Top

by antonystvrk



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Merry Late Christmas, Puppies, clint is only here for all of five seconds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 20:50:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13220985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antonystvrk/pseuds/antonystvrk
Summary: Tony landed next to Steve fully clad in the newest Iron Man armor, hands on his hips. “I want a puppy, Rogers. Pretty, pretty please?” Tony asked, voice slipping into a high plea. He pouted inside the suit and even though Steve couldn’t see him, they knew each other well enough for Steve to know exactly what Tony was doing behind his faceplate.(Also known as: Tony wants a puppy and Steve pretends he doesn't.)





	Puppy, Puppy Please With A Cherry On Top

**Author's Note:**

> This is a secret santa gift from the Secret Santa exchange that took place on the Tony Stark Defense League discord server. The prompt was: sooooo, I kind of adopted a puppy. Merry late Christmas, lushstark! I hope you enjoy!

“Are we really discussing this now?” Steve yelled over the comms, ducking just in time to avoid the chunk of metal that came hurtling his way. It may have been a car at some point, but it didn’t look that way now. Kids were to playdough as Hulk was to cars.

Tony landed next to him fully clad in the newest Iron Man armor, hands on his hips. “I want a puppy, Rogers. Pretty, pretty please?” Tony asked, voice slipping into a high plea. He pouted inside the suit and even though Steve couldn’t see him, they knew each other well enough for Steve to know exactly what Tony was doing behind his faceplate. Steve shook his head and made a run for it over the closest pile of debris. He could feel Tony’s eyes boring into his back, but he resisted the urge to turn around.

Tony was in his Gimme Mode, and Steve had a tendency of handing over whatever it was that Tony wanted at that given moment. They both knew that Tony could buy whatever he wanted ten times over and he did more often than not. But there were things they had both agreed would have to be a group decision, namely getting a puppy. They’d had the same conversation what seemed like a million times in a million different places; in the kitchen over breakfast, in the middle of sparring practice, in a SHIELD meeting with Fury glaring at them with his one good eye the entire time. One time Tony had even cornered Steve in the shower under the guise of joining him only to give an endearing, impassioned speech about the pros of getting a puppy. When Steve had started listing the cons, Tony had huffed his way out of the shower, leaving a trail of water droplets in his wake.

“Ouch. Did mommy dearest say no?” Clint’s voice came through the comms, ringing in Steve’s ears. Steve glared up at the building that Clint had claimed as his perch. Clint waved down at him like a pageant girl. Steve could see the shit-eating that he must have been wearing in his mind’s eye. He flung his shield with no real vigor, watching it spin in a perfect arc towards the top of the building. Clint saw it coming, but he had nowhere to run. He dropped down onto his belly with a loud squawk. Steve’s wholehearted laughter mixed with Clint’s string of obscenities.

Their battle was over before it even had a chance to fully begin. Steve had just begun his quick recap of events when Tony dropped to his knees with a clang. Small sparks flew off the pavement where the suit thudded against the ground. His faceplate lifted with an almost imperceptible whir to reveal the pout that Steve had tried to avoid. “Please say yes,” Tony pleaded, threading his fingers together. Steve tried his hardest to look unimpressed, but something must have betrayed him. Tony hopped up, clapping his hands together in glee. 

He pressed a quick kiss to Steve’s cheek. “I’m gonna count this as yes,” he said, still grinning.

“This is a maybe,” Steve responded, but his words were lost in a woosh as Tony lifted off of the ground and into the sky.

-

Things never quite happened the way Steve intended them to happen. 

The sun had begun to rise when Steve finally finished his usual morning run. He plopped down beneath a tree, nestling back into the rough trunk and watching as the people began to go about their daily lives. He wondered what it felt like to have a daily routine, a quiet day at work, a time to come home. It had been so long that he had even a semblance of a normal life.

His reverie was interrupted by a low whine. Steve looked down and found a pair of wide eyes looking back at him. The puppy couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old. Its fur was ink black, shining in the early sun, with a single patch of white in the center of its small chest. “Hey there, little buddy,” he cooed, wiggling his fingers in hopes that the puppy would come closer on its own. It sniffed Steve’s fingers, inching closer and closer. Steve outstretched his hand and waited. He watched in fascination as the puppy scooted forward, snuggling into the warmth of Steve’s palm.

“Now where did you come from?” Steve asked, rubbing a careful finger along the puppy’s side. He looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone keeping an eye out, but no one was paying either of them any attention. He picked the puppy up easily, cradling it against his chest like he would a baby. Steve couldn’t help but smile when it rubbed its nose against his shirt and sniffed indignantly. It looked up at him confused, seemingly asking Steve why he would wear such an offensive shirt.

He walked around the park aimlessly, watching everyone around him. He even stopped to ask the street vendors if they’d seen anyone’s puppy run off, but there was no sign of a panicked dog owner. No one seemed to be looking for the puppy. It made something stick in Steve’s throat. Maybe someone had abandoned it here, the poor thing. And who would Steve be if he left it there, too?

The walk back to the tower seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. The puppy watched everything as Steve walked, little ears perking with every sound. Steve was scared to put it down and let it walk, afraid that it might run off and get lost again. The closer Steve got to the tower, the slower he walked. He knew Tony was going to be beyond ecstatic, but he didn’t want Tony to get too attached in case they did find the puppy’s owner. Tony would play the strong card, but Steve knew that he would be heartbroken.

He couldn’t delay forever. He fell into the Tower’s shadow with the puppy still clutched in his arms. The security posted at the entrance let him through with a nod. One of them did a double take, eyes zeroing in on the puppy in Steve’s arms. Steve stood up taller, pushing his shoulders back and easing into his Captain persona. The guard glanced down quickly, busying himself with something behind the desk. Steve’s shoulders dropped once he was in the elevator, cheeks pinking with a tinge of embarrassment. He didn’t like playing the Cap card, but puppies could make people do incredible things. He set the puppy on the floor gently, smiling as it sniffed its way around the elevator. It stopped short when it noticed its reflection in the paneling, pawing against the elevator walls curiously. 

The elevator pinged, announcing his arrival. The doors slid open onto the main floor of their living quarters. The large living room presented so many new possibilities for the puppy with its wide couches and ceiling-to-floor windows. It ran from the elevator before Steve even had a chance to stop it. 

“I told you not come back unless you brought a puppy with you,” Tony singsonged, too engrossed in his tablet to notice the furry ball of energy that was bouncing around the room at full speed. He was elbows deep in couch pillows with his tech glasses perched on his nose and his tablet propped up on his chest. Steve dropped down next to Tony. He stifled a laugh as Tony’s tablet slid sideways, disappearing beneath the pillows. 

“Come on, sweetheart. It’s time to take a break,” Steve crooned, pulling Tony’s hands away from their journey into pillow mountain. Tony huffed and rolled away from Steve, off of the couch and onto the floor, landing with a small oomph. If Steve could rewind time and take a picture of Tony’s face when the puppy waddled up to where he was laying on the floor, then he would. Tony’s mouth dropped in awe as the puppy pawed at his hands, little snout running over his knuckles. Something akin to wonder glittered in his wide-eyed gaze. He turned to look at Steve over his shoulder with a thousand questions on the tip of his tongue.

“I found him in the park,” Steve explained, fidgeting under the warmth that settled in his chest as Tony scratched just behind the puppy’s ear. “He was all alone.” His words fell on deaf ears. Tony was fascinated. He was wearing the same look that he got when he thought of something new.

“Look at you,” Tony whispered, tapping its paws with a single finger. His wondrous smile was infectious and Steve found himself smiling, too. “You look like a Nox. You like that?” Nox barked, tail wagging ferociously. Tony laughed, running his hand in circles around Nox’s head. “Yeah, I like that, too,” he managed to say through a fit of laughter. 

-

After much prodding from Steve, Tony begrudgingly agreed to put out flyers and posts announcing that they’d found someone’s puppy. He’d insisted on using a picture Steve took of Nox wearing the smallest Santa hat that he could find. They didn’t attach their names to the flyers to keep away people who would only come forward for a profit. They waited and waited for weeks, but no response came in. Steve could see that Tony grew more hopeful each day. Steve tried to remain neutral, but he secretly hoped that no one would come forward. He’d grown fond of Nox and enjoyed having something constant that he could come home to after battling it out with the villain of the week.

Nox adjusted to living in the tower quickly. Tony gave him full reign of anywhere he wanted to go, but Nox preferred to curl up on the mountain of pillows that he’d claimed. Much to Steve’s surprise, Tony even let Nox into his workshop, cheering when Nox behaved and stayed put near his side. Steve was surprised by how quick Nox grew. It was hard to imagine how small he’d been when Steve had first brought him home. Every time that Steve came home Nox looked sleeker and taller. Tony was ecstatic about this and he was sure that Nox was a Great Dane.

At the six month mark, Tony came home with a small box clutched in his hands. Tony whistled, clapping one hand against his thigh. Steve could hear Nox pounding his way to the living room, paws slapping against the floor in a rush. “What’s that?” Steve asked from his perch on the couch, craning his neck to get a better look. The box gave nothing away. It was plain red with a thin gold trim. He started to get up to take a better peek when Nox stormed into the living room, leaping onto Tony. Tony tumbled to the ground with a shout, bursting into a fit of laughter under Nox. Nox liked to think he was still tiny and Tony liked to let him pretend.

“It’s a present for our son,” Tony said breathlessly, pushing Nox back with an outstretched hand as he sat up. Steve raised an eyebrow in question, watching Tony wiggle the top off of the box. Nox cocked his head to the side, watching Tony closely. A red collar sat neatly in the center. Tiny Iron Man faceplates were spaced out evenly around the whole thing. A small Captain America shield hung from the center of the collar with Nox’s information etched into the backside. Tony smiled at Steve widely, holding it up for Steve to see. Steve watched with a fond smile as Tony beckoned Nox closer. Nox came easily, dropping down onto his haunches in front of Tony. Tony clipped the collar around his neck carefully. “There you go, buddy,” Tony said, smoothing it down against the soft fur at Nox’s neck.

Nox barked happily, giving Tony a nudge with the tip of his nose. “I think that means thank you,” Steve said, holding his arms out for Tony. Tony crawled towards him, settling in between his legs with his back against the couch. He motioned for Nox to follow, leaning into Steve’s knees when Nox settled in front of him. He laid his head in Tony’s lap, closing his eyes as Tony scratched gently near his floopy ears.

“Thank you,” Tony muttered, voice soft. Steve hummed in response, leaning forward to plant a kiss on the top of Tony’s head. Steve had everything he could ever ask for.


End file.
